The reading from Matthew is apocalyptic and Psalm 141 is also bleak. These texts come from difficult times. Oppressed people pray for God to destroy their enemies. The textual context in Matthew is the impending crucifixion of Jesus. From the perspective of the composition of the Gospel itself, however, there is wrestling with fading expectations of Christ’s imminent Second Coming. One also detects echoes of reality for Matthew’s audience, contending with persecution (or the threat thereof) and conflict with non-Christian Jews.

We read of mercy following judgment in Ezekiel 11, 39, 40, and 43. Punishment for societal sins will ensue, but so will restoration. In the end, God’s Presence returns to Jerusalem, which it departed in Chapters 10 and 11.

Those sins included not only idolatry but judicial corruption and economic injustice, which, of course, hurt the poor the most. Not seeking the common good violated the Law of Moses. Seeking the common good defined the assigned readings from Ephesians and 1 Corinthians.

“Everything is lawful,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is lawful,” but not everything builds up. No one should seek his own advantage, but that of his neighbor.

–1 Corinthians 10:23-24, The New American Bible (1991)

We also read, in the context of how we treat each other:

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, for that Spirit is the seal with which you were marked for the day of final liberation.

–Ephesians 4:30, The Revised English Bible (1989)

Those are fine guiding principles. Some of the details in their vicinity in the texts might not apply to your circumstances, O reader, but such lists are not comprehensive and some examples are specific to cultures and settings. Timeless principles transcend circumstances and invite us to apply them when and where we are. May we live them in love of God and our fellow human beings, daring even to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:43-48). That is a difficult standard to meet, but it is possible via grace.

There must be no limit to your goodness, as your heavenly Father’s goodness knows no bounds.

–Matthew 5:48, The Revised English Bible (1989)

Amen.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JUNE 6, 2016 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF FRANKLIN CLARK FRY, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA AND THE LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA

Hebrews 10:26-39 cautions against committing apostasy, that is, falling away from God. The consequences will be dire, the pericope tells us.

Daniel 8, dating from the second century B.C.E., contains references to the Hasmonean rebellion in Judea and to the evil Seleucid monarch Antiochus IV Epiphanes (reigned 175-164 B.C.E.). Antiochus IV took the name “Epiphanes,” meaning “God manifest.” The author of 1 Maccabees referred to him as “a sinful root” (1:10). The author of 2 Maccabees wrote of Antiochus IV’s indolence and arrogance in Chapter 9 and called him “the ungodly man” (9:9) and “the murderer and blasphemer” (9:28). The monarch had, after all, desecrated the Temple at Jerusalem and presided over a bloody persecution of Jews. Certainly many faithful Jews prayed the text of Psalm 13, wondering how long the persecution would continue while anticipating its end. Antiochus IV died amid disappointment over military defeat (1 Maccabees 6:1-13 and 2 Maccabees 9:1-29). The author of 2 Maccabees, unlike the writer of 1 Maccabees, mentioned details about how physically repulsive the king had become at the end (2 Maccabees 9:9-12).

By his cunning, he will use deceit successfully. He will make great pans, will destroy many, taking them unawares, and will rise up against the chief of chiefs, but will be broken, not by [human] hands.

–Daniel 8:25, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)

The “chief of chiefs” was God, and, according to 2 Maccabees 9, God struck down Antiochus IV. The monarch, who never fell away from God because he never followed God, faced dire circumstances.

I acknowledge the existence of judgment and mercy in God while admitting ignorance of the location of the boundary separating them. That is a matter too great for me, so I file it under the heading “divine mystery.” Hebrews 10:31 tells us that

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

—The New Revised Standard Version (1989)

Yet, if we endure faithfully, as many Jews did during the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, and the author of the Letter to the Hebrews encouraged Jewish Christians to do, God will remain faithful to us. Many Christians have endured violent persecutions and political imprisonments with that hope keeping them spiritually alive. Many still do. Many Christians have become martyrs, never letting go of that hope. Today tyrants and their servants continue to make martyrs out of faithful people. May we, who are fortunate not to have to endure such suffering for the sake of righteousness, not lose faith either.

Thus we have a segue to the hopeful message of Zechariah 1 and 2. The rest of the material is mostly dark and joyless, however. Especially memorable is the fate of the servant who was not ready when his master returned unexpectedly in Matthew 24:51 (The Revised English Bible, 1989):

[The master] will cut him in pieces and assign him a place where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth.

My concept of God is one which encompasses judgment and mercy, with the two falling simultaneously sometimes; judgment for one person can constitute mercy for another. Nevertheless, the recent fixation on judgment in the lectionary has proven tiresome. I want more of the joy the Lutheran collect mentions.

Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:

Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,

that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,

which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236

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The Assigned Readings:

Daniel 1:1-21

Psalm 65 (Morning)

Psalms 125 and 91 (Evening)

Matthew 28:1-20

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Daniel 1 contains some historical inaccuracies and depicts Nebuchadnezzar (Nebuchadrezzar) II (reigned 605-562 BCE) in a more positive light at the end than one might expect at the beginning. These might prove to be difficulties for biblical literalists yet not for me.

The real meat, so to speak, of the chapters is kosher food laws. Keeping them constituted one way in which many exiled Jews maintained their identity. So this is a story about maintaining religious identity.

I wonder about the sense of identity of those who concocted a cover story for the Resurrection of Jesus. Who did they see when they saw a reflection? How dud they understand themselves when they were honest with themselves?

My religious identity is in Christ. In him I recognize the only one to follow to the end, whenever and however that will happen. In him I see victory over evil and death. In him I recognize atonement for sin. In him I see the Incarnation of God. In him I recognize ultimate wisdom. These matters are primary for me. The others (many of them still quite important) are secondary.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JUNE 4, 2013 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT FRANCIS CARACCIOLO, COFOUNDER OF THE MINOR CLERKS REGULAR

Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), of The Episcopal Church, contains an adapted two-years weekday lectionary for the Epiphany and Ordinary Time seasons from the Anglican Church of Canada. I invite you to follow it with me.

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Revelation 3:1-6, 14-22 (Revised English Bible):

To the angel of the church at Sardis write:

These are the words of the One who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: I know what you are doing; people say you are alive, but in fact you are dead. Wake up, and put some strength into what you still have, because otherwise it must die! For I have not found any work of yours brought to completion in the sight of my God. Remember therefore the teaching you received; observe it, and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come upon you like a thief, and you will not know the moment of my coming. Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not polluted their clothing, and they will walk with me in white, for so they deserve. Anyone who is victorious will be robed in white like them, and I shall never strike his name off the roll of the living; in the presence of my Father and his angels I shall acknowledge him as mine. You have ears, so hear what the Spirit says to the churches!

…

To the angel of the church at Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful of God’s creation: I know what you are doing; you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were either cold or hot! Because you are neither one nor the other, but just lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth. You say, “How rich I am! What a fortune I have made! I have everything I want.” In fact, though you do not realize it, you are a pitiful wretch, poor, blind, and naked. I advise you to buy from me gold refined in the fire to make you truly rich, and white robes to put on to hide the shame of your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so that you may see. All whom I love I reprove and discipline. Be wholehearted therefore in your repentance. Here I stand knocking at the door; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and he and I will eat together. To anyone who is victorious I will grant a place beside me on my throne, as I myself was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. You have ears, so hear what the Spirit says to the churches!

Psalm 15 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):

1 LORD, who may dwell in your tabernacle?

who may abide upon your holy hill?

2 Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is right,

who speaks the truth from his heart.

3 There is no guile upon his tongue;

he does no evil to his friend;

he does not heap contempt upon his neighbor.

4 In his sight the wicked is rejected,

but he honors those who fear the LORD.

5 He has sworn to do no wrong

and does not take back his word.

6 He does not give his money in hope of gain,

nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.

7 Whoever does these things

shall never be overthrown.

Luke 19:1-10 (Revised English Bible):

Entering Jericho Jesus made his way through the city. There was a man there named Zacchaeus; he was superintendent of taxes and very rich. He was eager to see what Jesus looked like; but, being a little man, he could not see him for the crowd. So he ran on ahead and climbed a sycomore tree in order to see him, for he was to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said,

Zacchaeus, be quick to come down, for I must stay at your house today.

He climbed down as quickly as he could and welcomed him gladly. At this time there was a general murmur of disapproval.

He has gone in to be the guest of a sinner,

they said. But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord,

Here and now, sir, I give half my possessions to charity; and if I have defrauded anyone, I will repay him four times over.

Jesus said to him,

Today salvation has come to this house–for this man too is a son of Abraham. The Son of Man has come to seek and to save what is lost.

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The Collect:

Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The church at Laodicea was lukewarm and overconfident in its wealth. It was really nothing but a chapel of complacency. But the church is not supposed to function as a chapel for the complacent. At least the church at Sardis tried to so something. Unfortunately, it did not finish anything. Zacchaeus, in contrast, committed to a course of action, one which exceeded the minimum qualifications under the Law of Moses.

There is frequently a cross-fertilization between religion and culture. Sometimes culture dilutes excellent religious principles. Consider racism, for example. One of the classics is H. Shelton Smith’s In His Image, But…, a book about racism in Southern U.S. religion. That title summarizes the hypocrisy of racism in religion, does it not? And Philip Yancey, in Soul Survivor: How My Faith Survived the Church (2001), beginning on page, 11, writes about recovering from the racism he learned in church and culture in the Deep South of the 1950s and 1960s. He writes:

As a child I did not question the system we lived under because no one around me questioned it. (page 13)

Bigotry of any form has no legitimate place in Christianity. It might be acceptable within one’s culture or subculture, but ought never find approval within the church. When religion soaks up the worst of culture, religion has ceased to be salt in the world.

So, embracing love for our fellow human beings and devotion to Jesus, may we follow him. We will stick out when we do this, and may we do so positively. And may we complete what we have begun, regardless of the humiliation and other hardship we may face because of our actions for God. Then we will be true to the crucified one.

Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), of The Episcopal Church, contains an adapted two-years weekday lectionary for the Epiphany and Ordinary Time seasons from the Anglican Church of Canada. I invite you to follow it with me.

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2 Maccabees 7:1, 20-31, 39-42 (Revised English Bible):

Another incident concerned the arrest of seven brothers along with their mother. They were being tortured by the king with whips and thongs to force them to eat pork, contrary to the law.

…

The mother was the most remarkable of all, and she deserves to be remembered with special honour. She watched her seven sons perish within the space of a single day, yet she bore it bravely, for she trusted in the Lord. She encouraged each in turn in her native language; filled with noble resolution, her woman’s thoughts fired by a manly spirit, she said to them:

You appeared in my womb, I know not how; it was not I who gave you life and breath, not I who set in order the elements of your being. The Creator of the universe, who designed the beginning of mankind and devised the origin of all, will in his mercy give you back again breath and life, since now you put his laws above every thought of self.

Antiochus felt that he was being treated with contempt and suspected an insult in her words. As the youngest brother was still left, the king, not content with appealing to him, even assured him on oath that once he abandoned his ancestral customs he would make him rich and enviable by enrolling him as a king’s Friend and entrusting him with high office. Since the youth paid no regard whatsoever, the king summoned the mother and urged her to advise her boy to save his life. After much urging from the king, she agreed to persuade her son. She leant towards him and, flouting the cruel tyrant, said in her native language:

Son, take pity on me, who carried you nine months in the womb, nursed you for three years, reared you and brought you up to your present age. I implore you, my child, to look at the heavens and the earth; consider all that is in them, and realize that God did not create them from what already existed and that a human being comes into existence in the same way. Do not be afraid of this butcher; accept death willingly and prove yourself worthy of your brothers, so that by God’s mercy I may receive back you and them together.

She had barely finished when the young man spoke out:

What are you all waiting for? I will not submit to the king’s command; I obey the command of the law given through Moses to our forefathers. And you, King Antiochus, who have devised all manner of atrocities for the Hebrews, you will not escape God’s hand….

Roused by this defiance, the king in his fury used him worse than the others, and the young man, putting his whole trust in the Lord, died without having incurred defilement.

Last of all, after her sons, the mother died.

Then must conclude our account of the eating of entrails and the monstrous tortures.

Psalm 17:1-8 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):

1 Hear my plea of innocence, O LORD;

give heed to my cry;

listen to my prayer, which does not come from lying lips.

2 Let my vindication come forth from your presence;

let your eyes be fixed on justice.

3 Weigh my heart, summon me by night,

melt me down; you will find no impurity in me.

4 I give no offence with my mouth as others do;

I have heeded the words of your lips.

5 My footsteps hold fast to the ways of your law;

in your paths my feet shall not stumble.

6 I call upon you, O God, for you will answer me;

incline your ear to me and hear my words.

7 Show me your marvelous loving-kindness,

O Savior of those who take refuge at your right hand

from those who rise up against them.

8 Keep me as the apple of your eye;

hide me under the shadow of your wings.

Luke 19:11-28 (Revised English Bible):

While they were listening to this, Jesus went on to tell them a parable, because he was now close to Jerusalem and they [the crowd who disapproved of him eating with Zacchaeus] thought the kingdom of God might dawn at any moment. He said,

A man of noble birth went on a long journey abroad, to have himself appointed king and then return. But first he called then of his servants and gave each a sum of money, saying, “Trade with this while I am away.” His fellow-citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, “We do not want this man as our king.” He returned however as king, and sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, to find out what profit each had made. The first came and said, “Your money, sir, has increased tenfold.” “Well done,” he replied, “you are a good servant, trustworthy in a very small matter, you shall have charge of ten cities.” The second came and said, “Here is your money, sir; I kept it wrapped up in a handkerchief. I was afraid of you because you are a hard man: you draw out what you do not put in and reap what you do not sow.” “You scoundrel!” he replied. “I will condemn you out of your own mouth. You knew me to be a hard man, did you, drawing out what I never put in, and reaping what I did not sow? Then why did you not put my money on deposit, and I could have claimed it with interest when I came back?” Turning to his attendants he said, “Take the money from him and give it to the man with the most.” “But sir,” they replied, “he has ten times as much already.” “I tell you,” he said, “everyone one has will be given more; but whoever has nothing will forfeit even what he has. But as for those enemies of mine who did not want me for their king, bring them here and slaughter them in my presence.”

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The Collect:

Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

U.S. Presbyterian minister and humanitarian Maltbie Davenport Babcock adored nature and wrote many poems. He died in 1901, after which his widow arranged for the publication of many of these works. Among them was the text of the great hymn, “This is My Father’s World.” One verse is especially germane to this day’s readings:

This is my Father’s world,

O let me ne’er forget

That though the wrong seems oft so strong

God is the ruler yet.

This is my Father’s world:

The battle is not done;

Jesus who died shall be satisfied,

And earth and heaven be one.

Antiochus Epiphanes was a tyrant, as was Herod the Great, a Roman client king who died in 4 B.C.E. Three sons took up their father’s role, each in his own district, with Roman approval, of course. Herod Archelaus governed much of the territory the modern State of Israel covers, with his capital at Jerusalem. He was the basis of the parable Jesus told, for a delegation of fifty men from the region traveled to Rome to ask they Archelaus not become the client ruler.

The Parable of the Pounds in Luke 19 is similar to the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25. For more about latter, follow the germane links I have provided. In Luke 19, however, there is a unique twist; the king is clearly the villain, and one identified with a member of the notorious Herodian Dynasty. This parable is set as Jesus nears his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, and therefore his crucifixion a few days later. The tyranny of the Roman Empire and its rule, whether direct or indirect, was on his mind.

The 1920s were difficult. Democracies were few and far between in Europe, and some of those were weak. The Weimar Republic teetered in Germany and the Fascists reigned supreme in Italy. Japan was on the militaristic and imperialistic path in the Pacific Basin, and Stalin was consolidating his power in the Soviet Union. In this context, in 1925, Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King, meant, among other things, to serve as a reminder that, as Babcock wrote,

God is the ruler yet.

This is a timeless lesson.

There is a wonderful song, which, according to some sources, is an old Quaker hymn: “How Can I Keep from Singing?”

1. My life flows on in endless song,

Above earth’s lamentation;

I hear the real though far-off song

That hails a new creation.

Through all the tumult and the strife

I hear that music ringing;

It sounds an echo in my soul,

How can I keep from singing?

2. What though the tempest loudly roars,

I hear the truth, it liveth;

What though the darkness round me close,

Songs in the night it giveth.

No storm can shake my inmost calm

While to that rock I’m clinging,

Since love is Lord of heaven and earth,

How can I keep from singing?

3. When tyrants tremble when they hear

The bells of freedom ringing;

When friends rejoice both far and near

How can I keep from singing?

In prison cell and dungeon vile

Our thoughts to them are winging,

When friends by shame are undefiled,

How can I keep from singing?

–From Songs of the Spirit (1978), of the Friends General Conference

Christ the King Sunday is Proper 29, the last Sunday of the Western Christian year. I am close to writing the devotion for that day, given where I am in the lectionary cycle. But, despite the heavy tone of the readings for this day, Wednesday in the Week of Proper 28, Year 1, we have a foretaste of the Feast of Christ the King.